On the job

Real world people working on the water

Jim Scancella, Master,
Clipper Navigation

Jim Scancella has been master on the Victoria Clipper for 20
years. As a teenager he shipped on the Great Lakes, and has worked
in the marine industry ever since, over 30 years. Working for
Clipper Navigation means he can get home to his family at night.

On The Job: Tell us about your current position. How long have
you been doing it? What does it involve and what are the challenges?

Jim Scancella: I sail as master on the high speed catamaran for
Clipper Navigation. Our main routing is from Seattle to Victoria. We
have other vessels that operate almost exclusively in the summer
months that take passengers whale watching from Seattle to Friday
Harbour, the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands.

I’ve been in the marine industry for over 30 years, I started as
a “wiper” in the engine room on a triple expansion steam ship that
was built in 1911. I was 19 when I first stepped on a ship, I’m now
55. Our biggest challenge and the most important part of our job is
to ensure the safety of the passengers. That’s our primary job. Then
after that, we try to make sure passengers have a pleasant and
memorable trip. I firmly believe as a company we have accomplished
that goal for the last 20 years. We have a very good safety record.

OTJ: Why did you choose this job? What route have you taken in
terms of education and experience?

Scancella: Working for Clipper Navigation gave me an opportunity
to sail near home, rather than on deep sea vessels. Initially in my
career I shipped on the Great Lakes as a teenager, right out of the
Union Hall. I went to salt water vessels after about three years on
the lakes. I’ve sailed on union
vessels, research vessels for the government and for Universities,
worked for oil companies on tankers, worked on general cargo
vessels, bulk carriers, I worked tugboats in Alaska and local
construction tugboats in Puget Sound and I worked as a tanker-man on
barges as well. When I started
raising a family I tried to find something that would keep me in
this industry and get me home at night. I had a friend at Clipper
Navigation who opened the door for me and I’ve been here ever since.

OTJ: What does it take to succeed in your job?

Scancella: I think the main thing with any job is to try to do
the best you can everyday. This type of job requires a lot of
training. There are numerous U.S. Coast Guard exams to pass and
certifications to acquire. I guess it takes a bit of luck as well,
because there are many qualified people in the industry who haven’t
been able to stay in a particular job as long as I have.

OTJ: If there was anything you could change about your job what
would it be?

Scancella: Not much. I don’t think there’s a whole lot I would
change. I don’t think many people have a better “office window view”
than I have. I travel up and down Puget Sound and all over the San
Juan and Gulf Islands. I like what I do. I like running the boats. I
like working with my crew. I like interacting with the passengers.
Most of the time the passengers have a great trip and if they’re
appreciative of it, that’s a good day for us. But as far as the
specifics of operating the boat and the continued exceptional
varying view, I don’t think it gets a whole lot better than that.

OTJ: What are your aspirations for growth in your job?

Scancella: As master I’ve reached the highest position I can on
board this type of vessel. Of course there are the tonnage
limitations on these smaller vessels. I have an unlimited tonnage
license. Not unlimited masters’, but an unlimited “Second Mate’s
Oceans”; I have a “1600 ton Masters Oceans
License”, so as far as the marine industry goes there’s room for a
bigger license. But based on my current family situation I don’t
want to go deep sea. I’ll stick with the choice I made a while ago,
to stay around the house and enjoy my wife and family after work
everyday, which is basically rare in this industry except for
ferries and local tugboats. Not many guys are in the position in
this industry where you can do that.

OTJ: What was your most memorable moment on this job?

Scancella: I’ve been here for 20 years [laughs]; I can’t pick
just one out. We have many sea stories we can tell, but more typical
is a day like yesterday; we saw killer whales. Northbound we slowed
the boat down then stopped for the passengers so they could get a
better view. We saw about 30 orcas. We see orcas all summer.

But through the years we’ve rescued people from burning boats,
gone on search and rescues missions as requested by the Coast Guard,
and pulled people out of Puget Sound who had fallen overboard. When
you travel for 20 years up and down Puget Sound you see a lot. Our
vessels are fast and the Coast Guard knows we have a very large
working platform with a large, well-trained crew. They don’t
hesitate to ask us to respond to any situation if they believe we
can help. We get called regularly. They know where we are because
we’re always participating in the vessel traffic system, both
Victoria traffic and Seattle traffic. They don’t hesitate to call
and we’ve responded over the years many, many times.

OTJ: If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?

Scancella: Career wise, I guess I like to work with my hands. I’m
sort of an amateur carpenter. I like building things. That’s what I
do in my spare time. I’m not sure I’d choose it for a career though.
It’s much more fun if you do it for yourself. Maybe I’d be a
teacher. I had considered going into education as a career many
years ago.

OTJ: What are your thoughts about the future of your job?

Scancella: I believe that the future of fast ferry service should
only increase. It may take a number of years, but I truly believe
that an increase in vessels and routes is only a matter of time.
Years ago in Seattle we had the “Mosquito Fleet.” They were small
ferries operating all over Puget Sound. If you look back at the
early history of Seattle, small passenger ferries were independently
operated from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island and many other
destinations. It was a very popular means of transportation in our
history. Now, with automobile traffic virtually out of control as
well as an exploding population, I see moving “back” to that mindset
as a natural evolution, if you could call it that.

OTJ: Tell us about some people in your line of work that you
admire.

Scancella: In the early days when I started sailing on the Great
Lakes freighters , the guys that I worked with saw that I was a hard
worker and were willing to teach me a number of the things I still
draw from today. For instance when someone teaches you how to tie a
specific knot, you never forget who that person was. I often think
back to that time on my first ship when I didn’t know port from
starboard — some of the
lessons learned during that time were easier to learn than others,
but for the most part I have tried to emulate many of the more
positive qualities and styles from some of the “crusty” and “not so
crusty” sailors that I have worked with my entire career.

OTJ: Do you have any advice for people who’d like to do your job?

Scancella: I’ve seen many kids come and go from here over the
years, most of whom were hard workers and very intelligent, but I
like to see people who have worked on many different vessels. I am a
firm believer in the old saying “different ship, different
long-splice.” When crew members are
able to acquire a wide range of experience I see that as a
tremendous benefit to them and their career. When I train a mate, I
don’t want him to do everything just the way I do it. I want him to
take a look at what I do, and at what all the other captains do as
well, then formulate his own way to do things.

My advice would be to simply work hard and get a wide variety of
experience.

The Victoria Clipper IV in Victoria harbour. Built in
Bergen, Norway, the Clipper IV is 132 feet long and 28.5 feet
wide, and has a passenger capacity of 330 passengers and 5 to 10
crew. Waterjet propulsion gives speeds up to 30 knots.

Margaret Boyes is a Victoria, BC based copywriter. She writes
sales letters, direct marketing packages, e-mails, landing pages,
web pages, brochures, sell sheets, case studies, newsletters and
other communications that get leads and make sales. Visit her
website
for more information. This
article was first published in Mariner Life Magazine, a Vancouver
based publication, in January 2008.